mole rat

(mōl)

1. Any of several furry burrowing rodents of the genus Spalax and related genera in the family Spalacidae, having short limbs and reduced eyes and found in eastern Europe, central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

2. Any of several burrowing rodents of the family Bathyergidae, having short limbs and reduced eyes and found in sub-Saharan Africa.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mole rat

1. (Animals) any burrowing molelike African rodent of the family Bathyergidae

2. (Animals) any similar rodent, esp any member of the genus Spalax, of Asia and North Africa: family Spalacidae

3. (Animals) the bandicoot rat. See bandicoot²

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	mole rat - African rodent resembling a mole in habits and appearance gnawer, rodent - relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing Bathyergus, genus Bathyergus - mole rats
	2.	mole rat - furry short-limbed tailless rodent resembling a true mole in habits and appearance; of eastern Europe and Middle East gnawer, rodent - relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing genus Spalax, Spalax - type genus of the Spalacidae
	3.	mole rat - burrowing scaly-tailed rat of India and Ceylon bandicoot rat rat - any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse genus Nesokia, Nesokia - bandicoot rats

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References in periodicals archive

Working closely with a world expert on mole-rat biology, Nigel Bennett at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, Gary Lewin, Thomas Park and colleagues explored how naked mole-rats and eight other related species respond to three substances that usually cause a brief burning sensation on the skin of humans and other mammals.

Pain Free, Thanks to Evolution

Reproductive behavior of the blind mole-rat (Spalax ehrenbergi) in a seminatural burrow system.

Genetic Differentiation and Relationship between Two Karyotype Forms of Nannospalax ehrenbergi (Rodentia: Spalacidae) in Egypt

Gaits into the underground environment have been previously inferred for another subterranean rodent, the mole-rat Spalax ehrenbergi.

USE OF A HIGH-SPEED CAMERA FOR ASSESSING GAITS AND LOCOMOTOR PERFORMANCE IN A SUBTERRANEAN RODENT (Ctenomys talarum, CTENOMYIDAE)

I HAD never heard of a naked mole-rat - but the little critter is four inches long, pink and wrinkly and said to resemble a human penis.

ACCEPTABLE FACE OF A LOVE RAT

2013: Pronounced cancer resistence in a subterranean rodent, the blind mole-rat, Spalax: in vivo and in vitro evidence.

Review of chromosome races in blind mole rats (Spalax and Nannospalax)

The naked mole-rat: a new long-living model for human aging research.

A pioneering program funded by life extension[R] to protect against cancers and slow aging

Ozkan, "Macro-anatomical investigations on the skeletons of mole-rat (Spalax leucodon N.) III.

The vertebral column, ribs, and sternum of the African giant rat (cricetomys gambianus waterhouse)

robot scientist, a lion tamer, and a mole-rat expert.

Livia Bloom, Editor: Errol Morris: Interviews

The ecology of naked mole-rat colonies: burrowing, food, and limiting factors.

Burrow Systems Of Iranian jerboa (Allactaga firouzi Womochel, 1978)

A popular example is the naked mole-rat, an African rodent species that lives in large underground colonies (usually numbering 75-80 but sometimes over 200).

What is life? Among other things, it's a synergistic effect!

THIS film mixes the strange stories of four unique characters - George Mendoca, a topiary gardener, Dave Hooper, an animal trainer, Rodney Brooks, a robot scientist, and Ray Mendez, a mole-rat specialist.

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